Dark Moon (ManxMan)

"Colson?"

"Aetos! Can you see me? Can you hear me?" Colson asked, hope blooming in his chest. He rushed forward, hands out, eager to touch Aetos. But like always. Life sucks.

Colson couldn't touch Aetos. It was the same as always. He couldn't touch Aetos. Aetos couldn't hear him. He could only see the blood. Colson drops his head and cries. He's sick and tired of this. He's tired and sad and all he wants is to be wrapped up in Aetos.

Colson gets onto his feet, hissing at the slight pain in his hand. It hurts, yeah but it's nothing like the pain he was actually in.

"Don't go." Aetos said and Colson stops.

Colson is tempted to believe that Aetos could see him. Colson stays but he doesn't say a thing. He doesn't move closer to Aetos. The vampire gets on his feet and walks closer, almost up to where Colson actually was. "We'll fix it. We'll fix this but I'm going to need you to give me something. Not now but soon. So we can find you. So I can make sure you are okay." Aetos said and Colson nods. "I love you. I always will. Don't forget that." "I love you too."

There was a sound and I look away to check what it was. Maybe it was the bitch with. I didn't want her harming Aetos. The woman Aetos had been going to drink from was passed out on the floor. I held my breath and silently prayed that it wasn't her. To let Aetos know I heard him, I stick my finger into the small blood on my finger and pressed it to Aetos' lips.

Aetos' eyes turn bright red, tongue peeking out to lick his lips.

Colson walks away from the vampire, heading right for the house. He needed to be alone for a while. He was still crying, he needed somewhere familiar. He needed to go home. He walks all the way to the house, hands occasionally coming up to wipe away the tears.

He doesn't remember how the walk goes, he doesn't remember cleaning up the blood on his arm, he doesn't remember bumping into or walking through people. All he knew was, he finally got home. Walked through the door and made his way upstairs and into Aetos' room. He gets onto the bed and curls on it, feeling cold all of a sudden.

He stays there curled around himself and cries.

He didn't like this game the bitch witch was playing with him. He couldn't stop crying. It's like all the tears he hadn't shed over the years had come forth. He tucked his face into the sheets and just cried. Colson gasps, trying to catch his breath. It felt like he couldn't breathe.

The door to the room was pushed open and Aetos walks in. Colson watched as his boyfriend looked around the room as if looking for Colson. He watched Aetos tear off the shirt and shoes he had on before taking a seat on the bed. Colson watched as Aetos takes his seat on the bed and pushed his face into his hands. Colson wanted to reach out, he wanted to let Aetos know that he is fine. He wanted to tell Aetos that he didn't have a lot of time. He might not get something for the pack to find him. He might not get the time to tell Aetos a few words just in case.

"Aetos, I might not make it. I might not find something that you could use to find the bitch witch holding me captive. So I'm going to say a few things and I hope one day you get to hear it. I might die. Like it's a fifty percent chance that she kills me. So I want you to know I will love you till my last breath, I want you to know that you can fall in love again. I don't want you to be alone. You can find someone else." Colson takes a deep breath, reaching up to wipe his tears. "I don't want you to be alone. I want you to be happy. Even if it's not with me. I want you to laugh, I want you to have kids of your own."

The door to the room was pushed open and Pytor walks into the room. He had on a pink hoodie and skin tight jeans with rips at the knees. His hair was cropped short, in a military hairstyle. "Aetos."

"Pytor, you're home."

The vampire sniffed and Colson watched the two of them. Pytor moved closer and reached for Aetos' hand. "Why do I smell Colson's blood?" Pytor asked.

"I saw him."

"You what? Where? Where is he?"

Aetos sighs and Colson sniffs, pushing down the urge to reach out and touch his boyfriend. "We can't see him. He was with Cobie earlier and that's why he called for a pack meeting. The attacks were Colson but we think there's something up." "Colson wouldn't do that. He's an asshole, yes but he wouldn't go around shooting people or pushing them to commit suicide and he sure as hell wasn't the one beating himself up. He had bruises on his body."

"I didn't actually see him back then, remember? I had to drive back down."

"Well, Cobie and Erik saw him. They found him passed out in the forest, the bruises on his body. They thought it was Michel." Pytor said, leaning against the door sill.

"He actually thought it was Michel. The beta claims he's innocent."

"Shape shifter then?" Pytor asked and Aetos shakes his head.

"I think it's a witch. Remember that time in 1877? When that witch did a lot of human sacrifices to get stronger." Aetos said and Pytor nods. Colson couldn't believe what he was hearing. Yea, at the pack meeting at the top of the suspect list were witches but Aetos firmly believes it is. And even Pytor. He knew Colson was innocent, without hesitation. He didn't need to think.

"Yeah, he was angry when he found out his wife had been sleeping with her boss and to torment her, he started morphing into her family members, taunting her, following her around until she finally killed herself."

"You think someone is doing the same thing? This Baba character?"

"I think so. It's only a witch that is strong enough to do this." Aetos said, running his fingers through his hair and letting out a sigh. "Erik is already looking into it though."

"You said you saw Colson this night? Where?"

"In the alleyway of a club. I... tried to drink but uh, he stopped me."

Colson couldn't help but smile at that. His breathing becoming a bit easier. He had actually stopped Aetos from doing something he'd regret. He mentally pats himself on the back. Colson listens as Erik tells him about the blood and Colson's scent. Vampire were more sensitive to blood, so they could identify a person from their scent.

"What if we tell him to meet us at the dark house and we cover him with cow blood or something? We'll be able to see him then." Pytor said and Colson shook his head. The idiot. There's no way he's going to let them pour cow's blood on his body and there was no fucking way he was going to stay in a house filled with vampire teens. No fucking way. He was going to look for another option.

"We'll have to look for another way." Aetos said. "How is Toby?"

"He's good. All healed up and ready to walk around. He also wants to look for Colson." Pytor said and Colson smiles softly. It warms his heart to know that people actually cared about him. It warmed his heart to know that people wanted to find him. He was part of a park. Part of a family. He hadn't accepted Erik's offer to be a park member but he was still treated as one.

Plus he was Cobie's twin. He was already part of the pack by association.

"I'll get you a fresh batch to drink. Your skin has a yellow tint to it." Pytor said and in the blink of an eye he was gone. He wasn't wrong. Aetos still had the yellow tint on his skin but at least his claws were back in and his eyes were the gorgeous grey that Colson loved so much.

Pytor appears as fast as he had gone and hands Aetos a flask. Aetos stared at it for a couple of seconds before taking a sip. Colson wonders if he could dip his finger into the flask and write something. It wouldn't hurt to try. He didn't want to tear his skin open if it wasn't going to work. He just had to look for a little spill.

He tries switching of the light but it doesn't work. He tries turning up the tap but it doesn't work. He watched Aetos take another sip, moving fast to swipe his thumb across his boyfriend's lips. He crossed his fingers and hoped this would work. He heads for the wall writes C.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Pytor cussed so loud, It startles Aetos so much he spilled some blood onto the carpet. Colson goes to reach for the blood but his head starts to ache him, his vision goes blurry. He feels very tired all of a sudden.

"Colson..." Aetos said. He's standing now, looking at the letter on the wall. Pytor had a slight frown on his face, as if trying to solve the maths in his head.

"It might not be Colson though. What if it's something else?"

Colson leans against the wall, his head in his hands as he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Fuck, he had overdone it hadn't he. He had gotten all excited about being able to finally communicate. He should have known the bitch witch didn't do things by the halves.

Colson was very sure she didn't know about the loophole.

She wasn't here. It proved his theory about her not being omnipresent. She didn't know anything.

Now that his vision had calmed down a bit, he sets to work. He reached for the blood, pressed his five digits into the blood soaked rug, working as fast as he could to write the word weak on the wall before the headache hits again. This time it comes with a sharp pain that makes him cry out.

At least, he had been able to let them know he was here.

"Toby might be of help. His blood heals a lot of things." Pytor said.

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"If our calculations are right, then his parents wouldn't allow it. This is not pure magic." Aetos said, still looking at the wall. Colson was finding it hard to keep himself awake. Everywhere was hurting. His fingers were stinging. He doesn't make it to the bed before he passes out. He wasn't awake long enough to hear what Pytor had said.

-

When Colson wakes up, its to the sound of Erika and Cobie talking. He blinks open his eyes repeatedly. The events of yesterday rushing forward. He was glad the headache was gone and sits up with a groan. He was still on the ground, body still pressed against the wall.

"He wrote this?" Cobie was asking.

Colson yawned as he looked around the room. Cobie was standing in front of Erik who had a hand on his mate's shoulder, Aetos was standing so close to Colson. Pytor was seated on the bed and Toby.

Toby was looking at him.

Toby was looking right at him.

"You can see me?" Colson asked before he could start doubting. "Ah, fuck, maybe you can't actually see me. Pretty sure you can't hear me too."

"I can hear you. Have you been sleeping there all this while?"

Colson's heart skipped a beat. His eyes go so wide as he looked right at Toby. Everyone else in the room was looking at Toby too. They couldn't see who he was talking to though. "Chill, you can see and hear me?"

"Yeah. Hold on though. One minute you weren't here and the next you were yawning. Where were you?"

"Toby, baby, who are you talking to?" Pytor asked, sweeping his thumb against Toby's cheek.

"Colson. He's right there." Toby replied, pointing at the spot where Colson was.

"He's here? He's actually here?" Aetos asked, looking right at Colson. He doesn't see him though, all he sees is the white wall.

"Do you know what happened?" Toby asked.

"A bitch witch trapped me like this. She said I am paying for my crime." Colson said, biting his bottom lip and looking away.

"He says a witch trapped him like this to pay for a crime." Toby tells the rest of the room and Aetos sucked in a deep breath. Since when had the vampire starting breathing?

"Why is he breathing? He didn't used to breathe."

"He's separated from you. He's becoming human." Toby replied. Aetos and Pytor seemed to understand what Toby was answering. Pytor looked sad and Aetos looked like he was minutes away from losing his mind. His hair scattered, eyes red rimmed. Cobie lets out a sigh, looking between Aetos and the spot where Colson was. Erik didn't say a word. He had gone through rejection. He had a tiny bit of understanding about what Aetos was going through.

"Can we fix this?" Colson asked Toby.

"He's asking how we can fix this?"

"We find the witch and we kill her." Aetos snarls, eyes flashing red. The vampire begins pacing the room and Colson watched him. It hurt to know how much Aetos was hurting. It hurt to see Aetos like this and not do anything. He wanted Aetos to be human, yes but not like this.

"You said my brother wrote that on the wall." Cobie said, nodding at the wall. "What if he gave a description of her and we sketch."

"That could work. Then we and a couple of trusted pack warriors and clan can look for her." Erik adds and Colson is so relieved he could cry. He leans his head back against the wall and just let the tears fall. Toby looked like he was about to say something.

"Don't. Don't tell them I'm crying. I'm not, I swear. It's just my eyes are-"

"Sweating." Toby adds with a soft smile. His word startles a small life out of Colson. The small laughs that turns into full on sobbing. He couldn't understand himself. Sometimes he had hope, sometimes he think it's all gone. All he knows is, he trusts everyone in this room and he knows that they would do their best to help him.

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Now they know what was happening, now that they had a way of communicating with him. it would be fine.

It's just one tiny problem.

"I haven't actually seen her face. She always has a hat on." Colson tells Toby who frowns. He listens as Toby tells everyone. Aetos lets out a loud curse. He raised his fist, almost connecting it to the wall but stops. Colson is a bit relieved his boyfriend didn't punch a hole in the wall. It would have been painful. He didn't want Aetos to hurt more than he already is.

"Colson, we're still going to need you to describe her."

"Let me go and get my pencil and shit." Pytor said and in the blink of an eye he was gone. He returns about as fast as he disappeared.

Colson tries his best to remember every detail as he describes the woman, everyone remained quiet as Pytor draws. Cobie was lying on the bed, back propped up by a pillow, Erik beside him with a hand on his tummy. Colson was still describing how the hat fell over the bitch witch's face when Cobie spoke.

"I wish he could feel the babies kick. He loved feeling it."

"We'll rescue him and he'll be there with you and the babies." Erik promised.

"I'm never going to let him out of my sight." Cobie said. "You too, Aetos. Never going to let you leave my site."

Aetos doesn't say a word. Colson raised a hand up and wiped at his eyes. Aetos was starting to get the yellow taint on his skin. It was making Colson worry grow second after second. Cobie had once told him that he and Erik had died once when he accidentally rejected Erik. They hadn't been mated then and they had still, you know.

What if that's what's happening?

"Toby?" Colson said and the dark-skinned boy smiles softly at him.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to need you to answer either yes or no. I don't want them to know what I'm about to ask and they might guess with your answer." Colson said and Toby nods. "Aetos is becoming human due to our separation." Colson starts.

"Yes."

"If... you guys can't fix this. If I can't be saved, will he be alright?" Colson asked and Toby paused.

"Maybe."

Maybe. He could handle maybe. It's a fifty percent chance he would be alright and Colson would take that over nothing.

"If we are separated long enough. Like even if we kill the witch but I'm still invisible, he'll become fully human with time?"

"Yes."

Dread fills Colson up. He knows the last question he wants to ask but the answer might be what scares him the most. He wants to know but at the same time he didn't. He looked away from Toby to Aetos who looking out the window, head raised towards the sun. What Colson wouldn't give to hug him one more time. What Colson wouldn't give to hold his hand one more time. What Colson wouldn't give to hug him one more time. What Colson wouldn't give to hold his hand one more time.

"If he becomes fully human would it stop there?" Colson asked.

"No."

"Would he die?"

"Yes."